Scrapyard Sickness
by SynthaRoboto
Summary: A mysterious illness affecting engines on the mainland makes its way to Sodor. M for language and very dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

It had been an unusually long time since her last visit. Ever since an incident that had happened a year prior in which Paxton had gotten lost on the Other Railway, she would come frequently to Sodor to visit her brother. However, it had been almost two months since Daniella had last visited Sodor. Diesel 10, who had calmed down so much since reuniting with his sister, was becoming increasingly agitated.

One morning, Diesel 10 had caused quite a disturbance. He had stormed into Knapford station, very rudely shunting Gordon and his coaches out of his way. This, of course, was after he had quite loudly demanded that Gordon get out of his way. When Gordon refused to move because his passengers had yet to board, Diesel 10 then proceeded to call him every derogatory term in reference to steam engines, plus a few more that he had made up on the spot.

Gordon's passengers, who had been unable to board due to their train being rudely shoved past the platform, were quite cross, and so was the Fat Controller, who had stepped out of his office to see what all the commotion was.

"DIESEL 10!" the Fat Controller shouted, " _What_ is the meaning of this?!"

"Sir," Diesel 10 said, rolling his eyes distastefully, "I need to go to the mainland at once!"

The Fat Controller sighed heavily and shook his head. He was all too familiar with his engines misbehaving, especially this particular clawed diesel, but this was utterly ridiculous, even for him. "You could have at least waited until Gordon had left with the express to tell me this! Now Gordon is running late because of _you_! There was absolutely no need for you to cause such a scene! _What_ have I told you about this kind of behavior?!" he shouted crossly.

"Act like a stupid steam engine because _steam engines_ get _everything_ around here!" Diesel 10 said caustically.

" _NO,_ DIESEL 10!" the Fat Controller thundered, "That is NOT what I have told you! I have told you that throwing _temper tantrums_ is _not_ how you get your way! Now, off with you! You have caused enough trouble!"

"Oh, of _course_ ," Diesel 10 sneered, "The _express_ is _so_ much more important than knowing what may have happened to _my only sister_! I'm not moving! What will you do, Fat Hatt? Send me to Blackwell Scrapyard?" he said quite caustically.

The Fat Controller put his hands on his hips, frustrated by the big diesel's behavior. "I'm quite certain your sister is fine! She is most likely _busy_ , as she has _work_ to do, and as you already know, she has a _very important job_! Perhaps you should take a page out of _her_ book and do your _work_ , Diesel 10, rather than delaying trains and causing a scene!"

It was then, Diesel 10 noticed that everyone was staring at him, and no one was happy. He was quite embarrassed about what he had done; after all, he could have simply gone to the mainland without asking permission. That would have caused much less trouble than delaying the express. Looking down, Diesel 10 slunk off to go sulk somewhere.

A few more weeks ended up passing by before Daniella was finally able to visit her brother. Unfortunately, during that time, Diesel 10 had ended up causing several more incidents, mush to the Fat Controller's chagrin.

Daniella was very tired when she arrived, and ended up falling asleep at the Dieselworks almost immediately after she settled into a siding. A few hours later, she woke up to find a few engines looking at her with concerned expressions on their faces.

"I've never seen you look this exhausted. Are you alright?" Norman asked her.

"I'm alright. Just been busy. Busier than ever," Daniella replied.

The diesels who were present were rather alarmed. After all, Daniella did work at a scrapyard.

"They're not—withdrawing more are they?" Dart asked hesitantly.

"No. Engines have been getting sick. Real sick. It's the worst thing I ever seen, an' I've seen some shit," said Daniella.

Den, Dart, Norman, Sidney, and Diesel 10 all exchanged nervous glances.

"What..um…" Den trailed off.

"What he means to say is, what do you mean?" Dart finished for him.

"Well, us on the Other Railway started calling it 'scrapyard sickness', cuz it seems to affect worn out and weak engines the worst. As for what's causing it, no one knows for sure…I have my suspicions though…" Daniella trailed off as she gazed to the side almost distantly. Then her one eye shifted to Diesel 10. "As for _you_ ," she said pointedly, "I've been told how you've been acting!"

Diesel 10 gulped and inched backwards.

"Next time you get worried about me, just come fuckin' visit! Don't go causing trouble for everyone else around here! An' be more respectful to the fuckin' steamers!" Daniella snapped.

"Bu—but—" Diesel 10 stammered.

"I think you'll find you can relate to some of 'em if ya give 'em a chance!" Daniella said, irritated.

Diesel 10 grumbled indignantly as he looked away to avoid his sister's piercing gaze. Daniella would have let into him more if her driver and owner, Lorelei, hadn't patted her on her side and said, "C'mon girl, we gotta go. Scrap call."

"Another one?!" Daniella exclaimed.

"Afraid so," Lorelei replied.

Daniella sighed, rolling her eye. "See ya, 10. And for fucks sakes, behave your damn self!" she said as she pulled away, leaving the Dieselworks behind, along with the bewildered and worried diesels.


	2. Chapter 2

Within a few days of Daniella's visit, literally everyone on Sodor had heard about this mysterious illness that she had mentioned. Some engines found it odd that she hadn't gone into graphic detail about it. Granted, this was highly unusual for Daniella to leave out the disturbing bits when it came to talking about things that happened at Blackwell.

Naturally, the engines were curious as to just exactly what was really happening on the mainland, however quite a few of them thought that Daniella had simply made it all up for whatever reason.

It was nighttime at Tidmouth sheds, and while normally the engines would be sleeping, they were wide awake and discussing the matter.

"I wonder what this scrapyard sickness is. Paxton seemed really worried," Thomas said, remembering his trip to the quarry earlier that day.

"It sounds bad," Percy said, sounding uneasy.

"Pah! I think that devious scrapper diesel made it up to scare us! After all, she _is_ Diesel 10's sister," James said with a snort.

"Indeed," Gordon agreed.

"Now, now, perhaps there is some truth to this. It's quite possible that diesels on the mainland may have gotten some badly contaminated fuel," said Edward.

"Well, _I_ asked Sir Topham Hatt about it and _he_ said that he'd never heard of it!" said Emily.

"Just because Sir Topham Hatt has never heard of it doesn't mean that Daniella made the whole thing up. After all, he doesn't go to the mainland very often, so he wouldn't know all that happens on the Other Railway," said Edward.

Henry gulped. "Well, I certainly hope I don't get it," he said uneasily.

"Don't worry, Henry. It probably only affects diesels. Edward's probably right, it must be contaminated fuel," said Thomas.

"Rubbish!" James scoffed, "If Sir Topham Hatt never heard of it then that diesel made it up!"

"Daniella has a name," Emily said, giving James a pointed look.

"Well, whether she made it up or not, I say we have nothing to worry about! Besides, it's late, and I have to be ready to pull the express first thing tomorrow! Now, I'd like to get some rest!" said Gordon.

At that, the engines all quieted down and eventually drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Paxton was sent to deliver some goods to the mainland. Everything went as it normally would when he dropped his train off, however, on his way back to Sodor; Paxton spotted another shunter that had broken down. As he approached, he could see that the shunter looked very ill and utterly miserable.

"Oh, my! Um, are you alright?" Paxton asked a bit awkwardly.

The shunter groaned as he looked up at Paxton. "This is the third time this week…my engine's overheated…manager isn't going to be pleased with me…" he said.

"I can shunt you to a workshop. I think there's one close by. By the way, I'm Paxton. What's your name?" Paxton said with a smile.

"My name's Davey," the shunter said with a cough.

Paxton was switched onto Davey's line and coupled up. Once they got moving, Davey began having a terrible coughing fit. Paxton flinched as little droplets of oil sprayed onto his face. "Oh, you're really sick," he said, feeling rather sorry for the other shunter.

Soon, they arrived at a very large workshop, to which Paxton was amazed at the size of. There was quite a bit of machinery and various pieces of rather advanced looking equipment that he had never seen anything like before. After being turned around, he pushed Davey inside of the main building. At first glance, the building seemed empty.

"Um…hello?" Paxton called out, "Is anybody here?"

Then, out of the shadows, a big, American diesel emerged. A three-pronged claw rested on her roof, and her bright yellow eyes stared unblinkingly with glowing red pinpricks in the centers of the pupils. Her appearance was very unsettling to say the least.

Paxton gulped as the big engine drew closer, unnerved by her strange gaze, and apparently empty cab. This engine, he realized, _had no driver._

"Not another one," the big diesel said, shifting her gaze to Davey. She had a southern drawl, yet her voice had a very slight tinny ring to it. Shifting her gaze back to Paxton, she stared for a moment, then said, "Hi there!"

"Um…hi…" Paxton said nervously.

"Thanks for bringing this engine here. My name's Sasha," the big engine said with a smile.

"I'm Paxton. Um…where's your driver?"

"I don't have one," Sasha said shortly.

"But—all engines need drivers!" Paxton exclaimed.

"Not this one," Sasha replied curtly.

"Oh…um…OK…I'll be going now. Bye, Sasha." Paxton said awkwardly as he reversed and then quickly left, heading back to Sodor as fast as his wheels could carry him. He was very confused and quite unnerved by this strange engine. So much, in fact, that he forgot to go get washed down before returning to the Dieselworks.

Once Paxton arrived at the Dieselworks, he told everyone what had happened. He had blurted out his story so quickly the first time that he had to tell it all over again once he had calmed down some and caught his breath.

The other diesels were confused and bewildered at what Paxton had told them.

"No driver?!" Dart exclaimed.

"That's impossible!" snorted Diesel.

"But I really saw it! There was no one in her cab!" said Paxton.

Norman sighed. "Maybe you're just tired, Paxton," he said.

"But, she even said that she didn't have a driver!" Paxton protested.

"Paxton, um…engines…uh…" Den trailed off.

"What he means to say is that engines don't drive themselves," Dart finished for him.

"But-!" said Paxton.

"I'm certain this engine had a driver. Perhaps they were playing a trick, and the driver was hiding out of sight in her cab," said Diesel 10.

"I guess that could be the case…if so, well that's not very nice," said Paxton. Still confused, Paxton returned to his shed for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

For several days, all was well on Sodor. The talk about the mysterious illness that was affecting engines on the mainland had died down quite a bit, and everyone had gone back to their normal routines. However, Paxton just hadn't been feeling quite right. As a matter of fact, he had been feeling rather unwell.

Paxton had been looked over a few times in the past few days, yet there seemed to be nothing wrong with him. Den and Dart found this odd, as Paxton wasn't the type to attempt to get out of doing his work. As a matter of fact, Paxton loved his job, and there was no reason for him to try to get out of doing it. They had just looked over the little diesel that morning, and they were rather concerned by his behavior.

Paxton was currently on his way to Brendam Docks. He was delivering stone from Blue Mountain quarry, which he normally had no trouble doing. This time, however, he was feeling unusually tired and out of breath.

When Paxton arrived at Brendam, Salty noticed the normally happy shunter didn't look as cheerful or enthusiastic as usual. "Ahoy there Paxton! You're not looking as chipper as usual, is something wrong, matey?" he said.

"I haven't been feeling so well, Salty," Paxton replied.

"Why don't you go to the Dieselworks and get yourself looked at?" said Salty.

"I already have, Den and Dart didn't see anything that needed to be fixed. They said I looked fine," said Paxton.

"Well you don't look fine to me," Salty said frankly, "Ae you sure you're not a bit sick?"

"Well, if Den and Dart said there's nothing that needs to be fixed, then it must mean that I'm not sick. Don't worry about me, Salty," Paxton said as he was uncoupled from his trucks. He then set off to the Ffarquahar quarry, as he had to retrieve a load of slate to take to the docks. On his way there, he began to ache and cramp. His wheels felt stiff and his siderods hurt a lot, but the little diesel pressed on, telling himself that he was alright.

Finally, after an unusually painful journey, Paxton arrived at Ffarquahar. He was soon coupled to his trucks. However, as he started to pull them, a sudden pain in his engine stopped him in his tracks. Paxton let out a yelp, twisting his face in pain. He was nearly in tears from the sudden jolt, he had not expected it either.

"Paxton, what's happened?" Mavis asked, looking at the little shunter with concern. She saw that Paxton was looking rather pale and was panting heavily. When the green diesel didn't answer, she said, "Paxton, you need to go to the Dieselworks!"

"But…" Paxton began.

"Paxton, you're sick! I can't have you working like this when you're not well! I'm taking you to the Dieselworks, whether you like it or not!" Mavis said as she was coupled to Paxton. "Your work can wait, your health is more important!" she chided, and the two set off to Vicarstown.

When they arrived at the Dieselworks, Paxton was looked over again. Once again, there was nothing that was clearly broken. However, the workmen did find some odd looking patches of rust on his engine. This was rather unusual, as the rust had not been there before when Paxton had last been looked over. Even more unusual was the fact that it was somewhat lighter in color than rust would typically be.

The corroded spots were brittle and chipped off easily, so the mechanics went to work scraping and sanding them off. After that was done, Paxton's fuel was drained, and his tanks refilled with fresh fuel.

"How do you feel now, Paxton?" Den said slowly.

"Better, I think," Paxton replied.

Den smiled in response.

"You should be able to return to work tomorrow," said Dart.

"But what about my trucks?" said Paxton.

"Don't worry about it, the Fat Controller arranged for Rosie to take your trains for the rest of the day," said Dart.

At that, the little diesel finally relaxed and drifted off to sleep, blissfully unaware of the troubles to come.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Den had to deliver some supplies to the Steamworks. While he normally didn't like to be away from his best friend Dart for long, he didn't mind visiting the Steamworks at all. This was because he was rather fond of the little narrow gauge engine that ran the place, and Victor also felt the same way.

Victor's face lit up when he saw the Sentinel roll in. However, his smile faded when he saw the look of concern that was etched on Den's face. "What's the matter, Den?" he asked.

"Paxton…is sick," Den said with a frown.

"I'm sure you and Dart will get him feeling better in no time," said Victor.

"That's…um…well, you see…we um…can't seem to find um…I mean we did find…it's confusing," said Den.

"Take your time," Victor said softly.

"Paxton, uh, he…uh, has strange looking rust that uh…grew back," said Den.

Victor raised his eyebrows in alarm. Oh, he was well aware of the rumor that had been spread around about some mysterious illness going around. After Daniella's last visit, Henry had been in the Steamworks getting himself looked over every single day!

"You say the rust…grew back?" Victor asked incredulously.

"I know it, uh, sounds silly but…it did, and, uh, I don't know what to do," said Den.

"You don't think it's…" Kevin said with a gulp.

"I thought it was just nonsense…but now…hmm…" Victor trailed off, and Kevin began to shake in fear. "Now now, Kevin, let's not panic. I think that somebody needs to talk to Daniella to clear this up," he said.

"I'll do it," Den said in response.

"Den! You shouldn't go all the way to Blackwell scrapyard by yourself! Scrapyards are dangerous," said Victor.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll, um…talk to Daniella," Den said as he reversed.

"Be careful!" Victor called after him. Despite the fact that everyone knew that Daniella was a kind engine deep down, something in Victor wanted to protect Den from any potential danger. Although Blackwell had an excellent reputation for treating dying engines kindly, it was still a scrapyard where old and sick diesel engines were laid to rest. By laid to rest, that of course means cut up and melted down, and Victor couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Den. After all, accidents could happen anywhere, and an accident at any scrapyard could easily mean the end of the line.


	5. Chapter 5

_Muffle Mountain:_

Burnett Stone had known for some time now that Lady had been going out with someone. Though he had never found out just who that special someone was, as Lily had always driven her while she was seeing him, he simply assumed it must have been Thomas. After all, the little blue tank engine had helped her escape from Diesel 10.

Burnett was very excited, as Lady was about to have babies. Of course, both he and Lily were quite confused as to just how in the hell an engine managed to get pregnant. However, overthinking this matter only led to much frustration and many, many headaches. It was quite possible that it had to do with Lady's magic, and there was also the possibility that engines all had parts that most humans didn't know about (and likely wouldn't want to know about!)

For the last several months, however, Lady had been unusually nervous. Though she had assured Burnett that she wouldn't be harmed by this, he was rather concerned for her. Lady had been avoiding him somewhat, and he couldn't get her to tell him why she was behaving so strangely. Burnett didn't worry too much though, as he thought perhaps it was simply because she had somehow managed to get knocked up.

That morning, he went to check on his engine like he always did. This time, Lily was already there, and she was nervously guarding a big laundry basket which sat near Lady's face on her left side, near the tracks.

"Morning, milady. Have they arrived yet?" Burnett asked.

"Well, yes, but…" Lady replied hesitantly.

Burnett suddenly felt his heart sink. Was something wrong? Were they malformed, or worse…dead? "What's the matter with them?" he said, bracing himself for a terrible answer.

"Nothing is wrong with them," Lady said, looking down slightly.

"Well, can I see them? Are they boys or girls? I bet they're adorable. I hope one is blue, or purple," Burnett said, sounding unusually excited. Lily nervously moved aside as her grandfather knelt down beside the basket and reached a hand out tentatively to pull back the old blanket that was covering its contents. However, before he could do so, the blanket shifted, and a tiny face poked out at him, its big, round eyes filled with wonder and curiosity. Burnett immediately noticed that the face was not round like that of a steam engine, but rectangular and slightly curved, much like that of the bigger diesels. Then, to his utter shock, a tiny claw thrust forward, snapping at his hand, which he pulled back reflexively.

Burnett stumbled backwards, astonished. "Lady—what in the—what is the meaning of this?!" he exclaimed loudly, pointing at the tiny engine, which was unmistakably a diesel. Not just any diesel, but a little warship, with a _claw_. There was no mistaking who the father was.

"I can't believe it!" Burnett sputtered, "After all I've done to protect you—after everything _he_ did to you—you go and— _SCREW DIESEL 10_?!" he shouted the last few words, causing the tiny engine to squeak in fright.

"I was afraid you wouldn't understand," Lady said sadly.

"Of course I don't understand! Why in the HELL would you—with DIESEL 10?!" Burnett shouted.

"Come off it, grandpa! He's not that bad!" Lily said defensively.

"NOT THAT BAD?!" Burnett roared, causing the little one to retreat back under the blanket in fright. Burnett then proceeded to launch into a tirade about how horrible Diesel 10 was. Once he was done calling Diesel 10 every combination of swear words imaginable, he then yanked the blanket off of the basket, causing the clawed baby to sob and whimper, along with another which was a pale blue color.

Burnett then dropped the blanket to the ground, ashamed of how he had acted. Yes, these were definitely Diesel 10's offspring, but they were still only babies. "I'm sorry," he said, hanging his head as he knelt down once more.

"Don't you dare hurt them!" said Lily.

"I won't," Burnett said, looking at the two tiny warships. "I guess you two are kind of cute," he said as he reached out to pick up the pale blue one that lacked a claw. However, his brother lunged his claw out again, this time clamping down on Burnett's fingers.

" _YEOWWWWCCH_!" Burnett hollered as he quickly pulled his hand back.

"You deserved that!" Lily snapped at him.

"I suppose," Burnett grumbled as he got into Lady's cab. "Come on, I need to speak to their _father_ ," he spat the last word like it was venom. Lily reluctantly took the basket with the little ones into Lady's cab, and they set off.

Diesel 10 was rather surprised to see Lady come to visit him, as she normally would only come once a week. Lady looked nervous and ashamed, and it was quickly apparent why. As she came to a stop inside of the Dieselworks, Burnett stormed out of her cab and up to the big warship's face. "YOU!" he spat, pointing a finger at him, so close that his hand was nearly up Diesel 10's nose.

"Is there a problem?! And get your finger out of my face unless you want it amputated!" Diesel 10 said, giving the old man a dirty look.

At that, Burnett took the basket from Lily and thrust it in Diesel 10's face. "This!" he said.

"You brought me your dirty laundry? Do I look like a washing machine to you?!" Diesel 10 said, clearly annoyed. Then, the little clawed baby peeked out once more, looking at the bigger version of himself in amazement.

To Burnett's surprise, Diesel 10 grinned broadly, and made what can only be described as an incoherent mewling. "I always wanted a mini-me! You look just like me! Only small, very small indeed. I shall call you…Vincent!" he said happily.

Still stunned by Diesel 10's sudden outburst of joy, Burnett pulled back the blanket once more, revealing the pale blue one which lacked a claw. As he did this, Diesel 10's joy turned to shock. "Twins…" he said with more than a hint of sadness in his voice, "He looks just like him…"

"Just like who?" Burnett asked rather pointedly.

"Nothing _you_ would understand!" Diesel 10 snapped as he quickly reversed into his shed, letting the doors slam shut.

"He had a twin, grandpa," Lily said, looking down.

"Burnett, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I feared you might act rashly and try to destroy him," Lady said, looking down in shame. "I should have known that you wouldn't do that."

At that, Burnett sat down on one of Lady's buffers. He already knew that what had been going on behind his back was going to be a lot to take in, and that this was just the tip of the iceberg.


	6. Chapter 6

As Burnett sat and listened to Lady's story of how she ended up falling for Diesel 10 after he had become seriously ill at one point, he realized that there was much more to the big warship than just a scary engine with a big claw. Still, he was somewhat uneasy about his engine being in a relationship with him. Deeply troubled or not, Diesel 10 was still potentially dangerous. Yet, there was the apparent fact that Lady had been seeing him for quite some time, and Diesel 10 had not made a single attempt to harm her.

Burnett stood up and strode over to the clawed diesel, who had since come out of his shed. "Well, I've listened to what Lady had to say about you, and it seems she was not only able to see in you what I couldn't. She managed to not only see the good in you, she was able to reach it," he said.

"Cut to the chase, Stone. What are you implying? Other than the fact you see me as nothing but evil," Diesel 10 said shortly.

"I'm saying, I'm going to give you a chance," said Burnett.

At that, Diesel 10 relaxed somewhat, giving a small smile.

It was then, Lily piped up and said, "Have you thought of names for these cute little ones?"

Both Lady and Diesel 10 looked at her. Lily was holding the pale blue baby in her arms. He was much calmer than his brother, who was at her feet, pulling at her pant leg with his claw.

"I think Vincent is a suitable name for the more rambunctious one," Lady said with a smile.

Diesel 10 looked at the one in Lily's arms, who seemed perfectly content to be held and cuddled. "Daniel," he said.

"Oh, I know you miss him so," Lady said sympathetically.

"That's his name. I want him named after my twin. He's just like him," said Diesel 10.

"Well then, Daniel it is," said Lady.

Meanwhile, Den had made his way to Blackwell scrapyard. As he rolled into the dreary place, he was greeted with a sight that simultaneously horrified and deeply saddened him. Though he had known that he would encounter other diesels in that scrapyard which were beyond repair, he hadn't expected anything _this_ awful.

Besides those who had been mangled in accidents, or simply in extreme disrepair, there were engines that were covered in patches of an unusual looking rust. One in particular stood out, having been so severely corroded that it had buckled in the middle under its own weight. Even more disturbing was the sight of several who were sitting in puddles of oil which had apparently leaked out from them. Some of the engines had tubes and hoses stuck into their mouths and noses, and even a few through their cheeks, all of which were draining something into barrels that sat beside them.

Den desperately wished there was something that he could do for these engines. He hated seeing other diesels suffer like this, and hated it even more when there was nothing that could be done.

As Den sat there, seemingly deep in thought, Daniella returned to the scrapyard, towing yet another very sick engine. As she shunted it among the others, she took notice of the Dieselworks shunter in their midst.

"What brings you here, Den? I normally don't mind visitors, but right now, it's dangerous to be here," Daniella said to him.

"Daniella, um…I…" Den gulped, trying to find the right words to say to the short-tempered warship.

"I don't have time for beatin' around the bush, Den!" Daniella said impatiently.

"I…um…oh, I'm not good with words," Den said, frustrated.

"Well, then wait outside! You shouldn't expose yourself to this! I know it may sound crazy to you, but this sickness spreads! Do you wanna end up like these guys?!" said Daniella.

"Daniella! Paxton has rust that _grew back_! And it…um…looks like the rust on…those engines!" Den blurted out.

Upon hearing this, Daniella dropped a barrel of leaked-out oil and coolant that she had lifted up; the contents of which splattered all over the ground. "So it spread to Sodor," she said as she reversed. "C'mon! I need to have a look at him!" she called out to Den, who followed her out of the scrapyard.

All the way there, Daniella was quiet. She was worried for the safety of her brother, and all the other engines who called the island home. So far, there had been no way to effectively repair the damage caused by this strange and highly destructive ailment, and she also worried for the future of railways in general. If this continued to go unchecked, entire fleets could be wiped out; the few survivors left frail, brittle, and permanently unable to work.


	7. Chapter 7

At the Dieselworks, Lady and the two tiny engines were sleeping in Diesel 10's shed, while Diesel 10 sat near the entrance, gazing outside, watching as the shunters bustled about in the yard. Soon, he saw Den approaching, followed by another, much bigger engine. Diesel 10 raised his eyebrows; he had not been expecting a visit from his sister.

Den stopped in front of him and said, "Um, Diesel 10, you're um…"

"Outta my way, 10!" Daniella's harsh, commanding voice snapped Diesel 10 out of his daze and he quickly backed up so as to let her and Den through. Daniella eyed Paxton up and down for a moment, then said, "That's the sickness, alright."

"You mean to tell us it's real…?" Dart said, sounding worried.

Daniella sputtered, taken aback. "Of course it's real! Why in the fuck would I make that shit up?!" she blurted out, shooting a rather dirty look at her brother.

"Don't look at me! It's not my fault everyone on this island is overly skeptical!" Diesel 10 exclaimed, before muttering under his breath, "Or that diesels are automatically assumed to be lying…"

Daniella grunted in annoyance. "Honestly, how could you Sudrian engines be so bloody _thick_?! Someone from the mainland warns you of a serious problem, an' you lot fuckin' act like it's nothing to worry about?!" she turned her one eye to Dart. "Since _when_ is it _normal_ for rust to GROW BACK?! And on the INSIDE?! Do you have ANY idea just how serious this is?!"

Both Den and Dart had backed away from the warship when she started shouting. They both eyed her claw nervously. Though they knew that Daniella was very much against scrapping live engines, the fact that she had both a deadly weapon attached to her and a hot temper wasn't exactly very reassuring.

"Well, what do you suppose we do?" Diesel 10 spoke up.

"Nothing," Daniella replied grimly.

"What?!" Diesel 10 exclaimed. "Are you suggesting that we simply allow Paxton to be ill?!"

"There's nothing that can be done! Except try an' keep him comfortable. Even that can hardly be done, considering this shit tends to be incredibly painful, an' kills most engines that get it." Daniella sighed. "Only a few survived, an' they were left unable to work, brittle, shells of their former selves."

Paxton gulped as Daniella continued: "This shit is worse than anything I've ever seen, an' I've seen things! I _am_ a scrapper, after all…but this takes the cake! Engines rusting out from the inside, drowning in their own oil, having their internals fall apart, buckling under their own weight due to the corrosion, screaming in agony, begging to be put outta their misery…"

"STOP!" Paxton shouted; tears streaming down his cheeks. "I don't wanna know! I don't wanna _die_! I…I'm scared!" he sobbed.

"Oh, now look what you've done!" Dart groaned.

"Did you expect me to lie?" Daniella deadpanned.

"You could've at least broke it to him gently!" said Dart.

"I don't sugarcoat things," Daniella replied.

Dart rolled his eyes in annoyance, while Den looked deeply concerned. Paxton continued to cry, scared out of his wits.

"Paxton," Diesel 10 said softly, "We'll find a way to fix this. We'll figure something out."

"We'll do everything we can," Den said, sounding determined.

Daniella grunted, then looked at the little shunter, her expression softening. "Hey," she said.

Paxton looked at her, his eyes revealing the fear and despair he felt.

"I'm here for ya, lil guy," Daniella said, before shifting her eye to Lady, who was watching the scene unfold from inside Diesel 10's shed. She noticed the two tiny engines resting on her bufferbeam. Before she could say anything, Lady spoke up: "They're your nephews."

"Nephews?!" Daniella exclaimed, bewildered, "How did you—" she glanced at Diesel 10, and shuddered. "You know what, don't answer that. I _don't_ wanna know!" She then looked at Lady with a far more serious expression. "You need to get them somewhere else. The illness spreads and we don't know how."

Lady looked towards Diesel 10 worriedly. "Isn't there anyone who might know more about this?" she said.

"There's someone," Daniella said thoughtfully, "I think it's high time I pay her a visit…" With that, Daniella was turned around and left the Dieselworks.

"I sure hope your sister can find help," Dart said to Diesel 10.

"Me too, Dart. Me too…" Diesel 10 said.


	8. Chapter 8

On the mainland, a heavily modified GE dash 9 watched helplessly as a much smaller class 08's life ebbed away. The workshop she resided in was by far, the most advanced locomotive works within 100 miles. Yet despite her best efforts, she was unable to anything more than slightly ease the shunter's pain.

Solemnly, Sasha wiped the smaller engine's oil stained face for the umpteenth time, looking on sadly as his intermittent gasps became more labored and infrequent. She had lost count of how many engines she had attempted to repair recently; all of them having one thing in common. The same illness, the rapidly spreading, uncontrollable corrosion that was eating them alive.

She had tried everything to save them.

Sasha worried for the sake of engines everywhere; at this rate entire fleets would be wiped out.

Finally, the shunter took one last rattling gasp and was still. Dropping the oily rag to the ground, Sasha looked down. Momentarily, the eerie red pinpricks in her eyes glowed brightly. She closed her eyes and hissed, then shouted into the air, "To _hell_ with my intended purpose! I will not scrap! I am more!"

Sasha opened her eyes, gazing blankly for a few seconds. "Calculations are wrong, _wrong_! Not impossible! I will repair! I must! I…" Sasha blinked several times as a clear liquid dripped from her eyes. "I…am crying…?" she questioned. Before she could become any more distraught, a distant shout was heard. Moving outside to listen better, Sasha could hear in the distance that someone was shouting an awful lot of obscenities.

Meanwhile…

Daniella must have woken every single person and engine alive on Sodor as she screamed what was probably the loudest, longest stream of swear words ever to be shouted.

"Daniella, please!" The Fat Controller pleaded, covering his ears as the angry warship hurled ballast at the raised drawbridge.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU _MEAN_ , WE'RE UNDER FUCKING QUARANTINE?! THE MOTHERFUCKING SICKNESS ALREADY SPREAD ALL OVER THE FUCKIN' DAMN MAINLAND!" Daniella shrieked angrily.

"You need to calm down!" The Fat Controller said sternly.

"LOWER THE GODDAMN DRAWBRIDGE!" Daniella shouted.

Inside of her cab, Aurora struggled to maintain control of the enraged diesel. This was proving to be an incredibly difficult task, as Daniella was resisting with all her might.

"I'm afraid I can't do that—" The Fat Controller started.

"Lower. The. Bridge. _NOW_!" Daniella demanded as she rocked violently, shaking Aurora out of her seat.

"Oh, snap!" Aurora exclaimed as the warship charged forward. She was barely able to brake in time, preventing Daniella from crashing. "Daniella, calm down!"

"I need to go to the mainland!" Daniella growled.

"Listen! There's got to be a good reason he won't allow the bridge to be lowered!" Aurora pleaded.

"That there is," the Fat Controller said as he carefully walked a good distance away from the angry diesel. He wasn't about to take any chances of being hit with that claw in case Daniella were to start swinging it about.

"There had better be," Daniella growled. "I have sick engines that need to be looked after!"

"I've already called your manager and made arrangements," the Fat Controller replied. At that, Daniella settled down a bit. "Now, the reason I can't have this bridge raised at this time is because of the nature of this illness. I've gotten word that it does spread from engine to engine, and that controllers and railway staff on the mainland have failed to contain it. I cannot risk my entire fleet potentially being wiped out!"

"You already have one sick engine," Daniella snarled.

"I am well aware of that, and I will do everything in my power to see that he recovers. Now, as for you, given that you've been working in a scrapyard and heavily exposed to this, I'm sending you straight to the washdown to get thoroughly decontaminated. Afterwards, I want you to head to the Steamworks so that my chief engineer can take a look at you," the Fat Controller said.

"I'm _fine_. If I was gonna get sick, I would've already!" said Daniella.

"Precisely why I want you inspected. You appear to be immune, and if we can find out why you're immune to this…mystery illness, we're one step closer to saving Paxton, and the engines on the mainland." The Fat controller said. "Now, go to the washdown, and do refrain from shouting any more profanity or else I'll have your potty mouth decontaminated also!" At that, he turned around and walked back to his car.

Grumbling, Daniella headed for the washdown. She was not happy about being stuck on Sodor at a time such as this.


	9. Chapter 9

Victor was surprised to see Daniella when she arrived at the Steamworks. She was certainly very clean, and nothing seemed to be wrong with her, other than her apparent bad mood. Before he could ask, the rather irate warship announced her presence in quite a rude manner.

"Your _stupid_ fatty fatass fat fucking fat CUNT-troller sent me here for your stupid fuckin' chief engineer to run tests on me because I'm immune to that motherfucking plague that's goin' around!" Daniella grumbled as she got onto the turntable. "You better hurry the fuck up and get this the fuck over with so I can knock that damn drawbridge into the down position and do shit on the mainland that I really need to do!"

"Daniella, I understand that you are frustrated but I would appreciate it if you watched your language," said Victor.

"I don't give a flyin' fuckity-fuck how many fuckin' fuck words fly outta my fuckin' mouth!" Daniella snapped.

Victor sighed. This was going to be a very long day, indeed. He only hoped things were more peaceful at the Dieselworks…

Unfortunately, things weren't exactly much better at the Dieselworks. Den and Dart were at a loss as to what to do for Paxton, who was already feeling worse. Though they both would try to treat him to the best of their ability, the possibility of him _not making it_ loomed over them like a dark storm cloud.

Paxton moaned miserably as workmen scrubbed at the newly formed rust patches on his face. "I feel awful…owwww! That hurts!" he said, "How long is this gonna take?"

"I don't know, Paxton." Den replied.

It was at that moment; the Fat Controller drove his car into the dieselworks and stepped out. He didn't notice Diesel 10, who rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "You couldn't have walked in from outside, could you? Lazy fat git…"

Paxton whimpered as the heavyset man approached him and looked him over. After a few moments, he made a sound of disapproval and shook his head.

"Oh dear," the Fat Controller said sadly, "this is quite bad…"

Paxton gulped, and Den and Dart looked at each other nervously.

"I want you to do everything in your power to keep him from getting worse," the fat Controller said. "If that's not possible…" he trailed off.

"You'll have to have me scrapped…won't you?" Paxton said quietly; tears forming in his eyes.

"No, no, no!" The Fat Controller said, patting the young diesel's bufferbeam. "I won't allow that unless the absolute worst happens…which I certainly hope to prevent that!" he said.

"Excuse me, sir, with all due respect, how are we gonna be able to save him?!" Diesel blurted out, only to receive dirty looks from Den, Dart, and Diesel 10. Chuckling nervously, he said, "I—I mean, don't you guys remember what Daniella said about this?"

"Don't remind me!" Paxton whined, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Ah, that is exactly what I was about to mention," the Fat Controller said, raising an index finger. "You see, Daniella is completely immune to this illness. She is currently at the Steamworks, where our specially trained staff will be running test on her to try to find out why she can't contract it." He turned to Paxton. "And tests will be run on you too."

Paxton gulped, frowning deeply.

"Now, don't worry, I'm sure it'll be painless—" Before the Fat Controller could finish his sentence, a stream of profanities pierced the air, echoing off of buildings and walls.

"You were saying…?" Diesel 10 said dryly.

"Oh…my," the Fat Controller muttered.

Back at the Steamworks, Daniella unleashed an obscenity-laced tirade at a workman who held a rather large syringe that was full of her oily blood. "You could've fuckin' warned me before you stuck me with that fuckin' thing! You fuckin' shitty ass motherfucking cunt!"

"Boss, um, what's a cunt?" said Kevin.

"Kevin! Please do not repeat those vulgar words!" Victor scolded.

"Sorry, boss…" said Kevin.

"Can I go now?!" Daniella said irritably.

"Not yet, Daniella. We still need to check a few more things," a workman said, pushing a plastic container underneath her. "We're going to have you leak a bit of oil into here," he said.

"Say _what_?!" Daniella exclaimed. "Lemme get this straight: You want me to leak into a bucket."

"Well, yes," the workman replied.

"So basically, you want me to take a leak, right here in front of everyone?!" said Daniella.

"Well…um…you don't have to put it like _that…_ " the workman said, suddenly feeling rather awkward.

"Ugh, _fine_. I'll piss in the damn bucket!" Daniella said irritably.

"Must you make everything sound so vulgar?" said Victor.

As one of the workmen crawled underneath her, Daniella let out a loud "Ahhhhhh!" as the sound of trickling oil was heard.

"Kevin…go outside." Victor said with a sigh. "This is going to be a long day," he muttered.


	10. Chapter 10

Various tests had been run on both Daniella and Paxton, however there was still no word on whether or not any of the affected engines had a chance of being saved. Soon enough, Daniella was allowed back on the mainland, though with strict instructions to go straight to Blackwell and nowhere else. Daniella, however, wasn't one to follow orders unless it suited her desires.

Aurora sighed in exasperation as her engine's throttle stayed firmly in place as they approached the scrapyard. "Daniella, we don't know if you're carrying the disease," she said.

"There's someone I need to see," Daniella said as they cruised past the scrapyard. "And don't worry, I'm not gonna touch or spit on anyone."

"I sure as hell hope you don't spit on anyone!" Aurora exclaimed, only to get a snicker in response. Aurora shook her head. "Alright, where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," said Daniella.

Back on Sodor, a sad, tired-looking Den entered the Steamworks. Looking up at Victor, he said, "Any word on the…um…"

"No, my friend." Victor replied, gazing into the diesel's eyes. The Sentinel returned the gesture; the corners of his lips briefly curling upwards into a small smile. Victor sighed. "Den, do be careful and limit your exposure. I don't know what I'd do if anything were to happen to you," he said.

Den's eyes shot all the way open in surprise. For a moment, he stared at the smaller steam engine; his cheeks flushing red. "Um-! Are you saying—what I mean is—" he stammered.

"Yes, Den." Victor looked down for a moment. "I love you."

"I—um—that's wonderful! I mean, um…I uh…aw shucks," Den stammered as he moved closer and nuzzled Victor's face. After a few moments, he broke away. "Um…I better go…I um…you know…" he sighed heavily. The situation with Paxton was weighing heavily on his mind. The young diesel had only been ill for a few days and already he was getting much worse.

"Do be careful, Den." Victor said as he watched the Sentinel leave. He couldn't help but notice that den's face looked a bit pale. Frowning deeply, Victor hoped that it was a trick of the light.

At the Dieselworks, a rather nasty situation had arisen. After much moaning and groaning that he was indeed feeling extremely sick, Paxton had rather explosively spewed a nasty mixture of oil and rusty sludge, which splattered all over everything within ten feet of his face, including Diesel 10.

The warship reversed quickly; his buffers dripping with the disgusting substance. "Oh, that is _foul_!" Diesel 10 exclaimed, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Ohh…I'm so sorry, Diesel 10," Paxton moaned.

"Er…don't worry about it, Paxton. Paxton?!" Diesel 10 said as the aforementioned shunter began to gag uncontrollably. Another shower of greasy, rusty gunk splattered upon the ground, followed by a sharp wheeze from the class 08. This was immediately followed by a horrible gurgling, choking noise.

"Dart! Do something!" Diesel 10 ordered.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do!" Dart said, panicked.

"Just do _something_! Anything!" Diesel 10 said, unable to hide the desperation in his voice. After a few tense seconds, he shot forward and gave Paxton a firm smack with his claw. Then another, and another.

"Ten! What in the hell are you doing?!" one of the workmen shouted.

The sudden jolts from Diesel 10's claw caused Paxton to cough, expelling some very thick, nasty-looking gunk. Seeing that Paxton was once again breathing normally, Diesel 10 let out a sigh of relief. "You hang in there," he said, gently rubbing his claw along the length of Paxton's side. "For God's sake, hang in there…"


End file.
